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It Takes Two to Tango

According to Bettina Marx, the so-called "Palestine Papers" published by Al-Jazeera and the British broadsheet The Guardian are a huge embarrassment for both Israel and the Palestinian National Authority

According to Bettina Marx, the so-called "Palestine Papers" published by Al-Jazeera and the British broadsheet The Guardian are a huge embarrassment for both Israel and the Palestinian National Authority

Middle Eastern tango partners: leaked papers have revealed what went on behind the scenes in the peace process

​​When American and European officials travel to Tel Aviv, Israeli leaders explain the standstill in negotiations with the Palestinians by arguing that "we have no partner for peace." This oft repeated claim explains the Israeli public's decreasing interest in the peace process.

However, documents published by Al-Jazeera and the British newspaper The Guardian contradict the old Israeli claim. Apparently, it is the Palestinians who have no partner for peace. Their concessions were wiped off the table by Israeli negotiators as insufficient.

Bordering on self-abandonment

Even the Olmert–Livini government, considered moderate by the international community, was not satisfied with Palestinian offers. The readiness of the Palestinian delegation to forego justified demands was so far-reaching that it bordered on self-abandonment.

Uncomfortable truths: Al-Jazeera and The Guardian have published roughly 1,600 secret documents about the Middle East peace process

​​They were prepared to forego the withdrawal of Israel to its 1967 boundaries. Moreover, they offered a compromise in which they would accept most of the Jewish quarters in the old city of East Jerusalem even though much of that area was built on land taken from Palestinians.

Yet the Israeli government said "No" to everything. It wasn't enough for them. And on top of everything else, they wanted the Palestinians to drop their demand that the large settlements in the West Bank be cleared. But that would have meant that there would be no contiguous Palestinian state capable of sustaining itself.

The Israelis weren't ready to give an inch on their most far-reaching demands. The documents made public by Al-Jazeera support those who question Israel's readiness to seek peace.

But it's not just Israel that has been publicly disgraced. The Palestinian leadership doesn't fare much better. They did not represent the vital interests of their own people. In secret, without informing the public, they were ready to negotiate away the just demands of the Palestinian people.

Collaborator and helper

According to Al-Jazeera, the Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat drew up a list of settlements in East-Jerusalem that the Palestinian National Authority was willing to do without

​​As they have consistently done since the Oslo Peace Process, the Palestinian leadership allowed itself to be degraded as a collaborator and helper of the occupying power.

The leading Palestinian negotiators tried to curry favour with Israeli politicians to an embarrassing extent. They tolerated Israel's merciless advance against the Gaza Strip. And for decades they have accepted Israel's violations of international law.

"It takes two to tango" is another favourite phrase used by Israeli politicians to point out Palestinian obligations. That's true. And in the Middle East two partners do indeed tango: a narrow-minded, arrogant and unmoveable Israeli occupying government and a weak and subservient Palestinian leadership.

Shlomo Ben-AmiThe Phantom Middle East Peace Process
Trapped in their contradictions and zero-sum national dreams, Israelis and Palestinians cannot expect a perfect solution, writes former Israeli Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami in his article

An Interview with Political Analyst Khalil ShikakiMiddle East Paradoxes
Direct negotiations between the Palestinians and Israelis are being resumed this week. Although the majority of people on both sides do not believe the peace talks have a chance of succeeding, neither do they think there is any alternative to continuing negotiations. Muhannad Adam with the well-known Palestinian pollster Khalil Shikaki on this issue

Interview with Sari NusseibehWays out of the Deadlock
The Palestinian intellectual Sari Nusseibeh has been engaged for many years in different Israeli-Palestinian peace initiatives. In this interview with Igal Avidan he talks about the chances for an Israeli-Palestinian accord

Commentary by Shlomo Ben-AmiObama's Flawed Peace Process
According to former Israeli foreign minister Shlomo Ben-Ami the assumption that peace between Israel and the Palestinians can be achieved by driving a wedge between "moderates" and "extremists" is a fatal misconception

wwwThe Palestine Papers
Click here for The Guardian's in-depth coverage of the leaked papers on the Middle East peace process

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